Word of the Day
by brizo3
Summary: A selection of various short fics based around 's Word of the Day, with various topics, ratings and characters.


A/N: In an attempt to get myself back into writing, something I haven't done in a long time, I'm hopefully going to be writing a series of mini-stories, which have no connection other than that I'm using 's word of the day as inspiration. How well this will turn out is anyone's guess.

March 1st: Leeward

1. The direction in which the wind is blowing.

2. The side of something that is sheltered from the wind

Timeframe: after Cold Lazarus

Jack O'Neill lay back in his deck chair staring sightlessly at the stars above him. It had been a long day. Long and... Kind of exposing. Everyone on base knew about Charlie already, it didn't take a genius to know that, but today Jack had seemed to feel them all staring at him.

Down below him a car pulled up and into his driveway. God knew who'd be visiting him tonight. His mood drew around him, hardening and ready to send whoever it was packing if they poked their head over his parapet. When Daniel's head finally appeared at the top of the ladder Jack sent him the dirtiest look he could muster. It didn't seem to have much effect, as Daniel hauled himself up and onto the roof, eyeing Jack only slightly warily.

Jack had known Daniel for 18 months. Although technically for a year of that they'd been on different planets, so that probably didn't count. But somehow, in the six actual months they'd known each other, Daniel had managed to get a handle and read on Jack's moods to the point where he could probably have taught Sara a thing or two, if she had still cared to know.

As it was, Daniel simply leaned back against the rail, then launched straight into conversation, "You ok?"

Jack just looked straight back, "Why wouldn't I be?", before taking a slow sip from his beer.

"Umm," Daniel took his glasses off and started cleaning them with the bottom of his coat, "because an alien entity just took on the physical appearance of your dead son, who you then had to walk through a hospital and through the SGC?"

Jack just shrugged and took another sip, "So?"

"In anyone's books that's a rough day."

Jack leaned his head back to look at the stars and said nothing.

Daniel exhaled loudly, "Ok, you don't wanna talk, I get it. I guess I don't need you to talk. I just wanted to say that if you needed to, then I'm here."

Jack, meanwhile, had thought of something else, "How did you get here?" Daniel drove, but since he had got back he had been living on base and hadn't gotten a car yet.

Daniel thumbed casually down to where the unseen car in his driveway presumably still sat, "Sam."

"You brought Carter up here?"

"Sure, why not?" Daniel just squinted at him.

Jack sighed, both unable and unwilling to explain his intrinsic recoil to the idea.

"She's part of the team, too," Daniel went on. Jack just closed his eyes and thumped his head against his chair. The way Daniel said 'team' made it sound like they'd been put together by the teacher at school.

"If you don't want to talk I'll go,"

"Great."

"But I still need you to know that you can talk to us. Any of us, even Sam."

Jack decided this wasn't the time to get into a debate about chains of command. Daniel could think what he liked, but Jack was pretty sure that if he tried to start a conversation with Carter about this she'd be just as uncomfortable as he would. At least she'd had the sense to stay in the car rather than coming up here. She wasn't clueless, unlike the man still stood on his roof with the gleam of someone attempting salvation in his eye.

Finally Daniel turned and got back on the ladder. He descended a few steps then stopped when only his head was showing. "You may roll your eyes, Jack, but we are a team, whether you like it or not."

Jack waited until he heard a car door shut and the engine start up again before snorting to himself. Some team. A dweeb, a geek, an alien and, well, him. Daniel with his allergies, and his idealism, recently scarred with the loss of Sha're. Carter admittedly had potential if he could shake the innocence out of her, although if you got her started on astrophysics he lost all hope. And Teal'c was still trying to work out what was going on half the time. It seemed it would take a miracle to pull them all together.

Still, he wasn't alone. An unusual situation for him of late. A team. Well, he thought as he downed the last of his beer, if they were going to be a team they better start acting like it. He chucked the empty bottle over the side into the trash and headed down the ladder. There was a purpose at last, even if it was a little bit wonky.

.fin.

So it's short, and I can't say I'm entirely convinced by it, but seeing as it's the first whole thing I've written in ages it'll do.

Feedback is excellent, constructive criticism appreciated.


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